The Wire's Dominic West to take over as Prince Charles in The Crown

For the past two seasons, 30-year-old actor Josh O’Connor has played the heir to the British crown and recently won a Golden Globe for his portrayal. In an interview with GQ, he confirmed that West, 51, would be the next actor to play Prince Charles.

The series, a fictionalized account of the royal family, has a history of replacing its cast as the characters progress in age. Also in the next season, Imelda Stauton will be replacing Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth.

"Playing that character has brought me a lot of joy. But it's lovely to come away and go, 'Great. Now hand it over to Dominic West' ... But if Dominic West came to me asking me for advice, I'd laugh him off. I'd be like, 'Dom! You're Dominic West!'" said O’Connor.

English actor West, who has starred in such shows as The Wire and The Affair,
resides at Glin Castle in County Limerick, Ireland. The castle, which sits on a 400-acre estate, is the family seat of West’s wife, landscape designer Catherine Fitzgerald. Glin Castle has been in Fitzgerald’s family for 700 years.

West made headlines last year after he was caught kissing Lily James, his 31-year-old co-star in the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel “The Pursuit of Love.”

Catherine Fitzgerald and Dominic West. Credit: Getty

West and Fitzgerald, the parents of four children, presented a united front after the scandal. The couple said in a statement: “Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together.” 

The Daily Mail reports that filming for the next season of The Crown is set to begin this summer.

* Originally published on our sister website, IrishCentral.com.